Cats are adept at concealing pain, and validated pain recognition tools like the Feline Grimace Scale enable earlier detection and more effective welfare management of painful conditions.
Failure to recognise pain in cats has historically led to significant undertreatment of a major welfare burden. Cats that hide under furniture, stop grooming, eat less, or become withdrawn are often assumed to be "just getting old" when they are actually in pain. The FGS provides an objective, validated tool that veterinary professionals and owners can use to assess pain systematically. Widespread adoption of grimace scale assessment at routine veterinary visits would identify previously unrecognised pain in a substantial proportion of cats, enabling treatment that dramatically improves quality of life. Owner education about subtle feline pain indicators is one of the highest-leverage welfare interventions available.